


Business and Pleasure

by alessandralee



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, F/F, Femslash February Trope Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 13:30:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3292073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alessandralee/pseuds/alessandralee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raven Reyes is a successful music producer with a strict policy against getting romantically involved with the musicians she works with. Clarke Griffin, lead singer for the band Skyfall, tempts her to break the rules.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Business and Pleasure

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Femslash February Trope Bingo, to fill the AU:Band spot on my card.

Raven has been to the Dropship for shows plenty of times. It’s owner, Miller, is a good friend of hers.

But tonight feels different. Tonight she’s here on Clarke’s invitation to see Skyfall play and to meet the rest of the band. She watched plenty of their live clips before agreeing to work with Clarke on the new album, but so far none of the other members have shown up for writing sessions.

She hates to admit it, but despite her carefully cultivated aura of not giving a shit, Raven hopes they like her. Professionally, it helps if the people you’re about to spend months shut away in a cramped studio with don’t hate you. Personally, they’re Clarke’s best friends. 

Raven’s doing her best to not think about what might be developing between her and Clarke (because after things with Finn imploded, Raven vowed to never start anything with one of her acts ever again), but that doesn’t mean she can shake her desire to be liked by the people Clarke likes.

When she makes it to the Dropship, there’s already a line building at the door. The inside of the club, however, is pretty quiet. But Skyefall and their opening, a singer-songwriter named Wells Jaha, must have already done their soundchecks.

Raven says a quick hello to Miller, who’s making some last minute adjustments to the lighting system, then heads towards the backstage area to find Clarke.

She’s walking past the bar when an unfamiliar voice calls out, “Hey, are you Raven Reyes?”

Raven pauses, then turns to see two guys sitting at the bar. The speaker is a guy about her age, with shaggy brown hair and an inquiring expression. His torso is angled to face her while his right hand is wrapped a red and orange drink sitting on the bar next to a bulky pair of goggles. Raven easily identifies him as Jasper Jordan, guitarist for Clarke’s band. His companion, an Asian guy who eyes her over a glass of what she thinks is sangria, is Skyefall’s drummer, Monty Green.

“Yeah,” she says, trying to get a feel for the two of them.

Jasper smiles excitedly and says, “Clarke’s played us some of the song you guys have been working on. They sound great, we can’t wait to get into the studio.” Monty nudges him and, as an afterthought, Jasper adds, “I’m Jasper, by the way. This is Monty.”

“Don’t worry,” she tells them, a little amused by the fact that Monty would assume she can’t identify them, “I know who you are.”

Jasper grins even wider and Monty says, “Do you want a drink? Clarke and Octavia are getting ready for the show.”

“We’ve been touring together for over two years and Octavia still doesn’t want us in the dressing room when she changes,” Jasper adds.

Monty mutters something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like “doesn’t want _you_ in the dressing room,” but either Jasper doesn’t hear it, or he decides to ignore it.

Raven orders a beer and takes the barstool next to Monty. She listens thoughtfully as Jasper gives more detailed input on the new songs he’s heard so far, and answers a few of Monty’s questions about her studio equipment.

After a few moments of conversation Miller comes over to tell them that doors are opening soon, so they should get backstage. Monty and Raven are still nursing their drinks, but Jasper orders another Tequila Sunrise before they head for Skyfall’s dressing room.

The walk is short and Monty and Jasper occupy themselves with playfully shoving each other while trying not to spill their drinks.

At one point, Raven hears Jasper say to Monty, “Her eyes don’t look wounded.” She has no idea what that’s supposed to mean, but Monty looks over his shoulder at her before shushing his friend.

When they reach the dressing room, Jasper knocks on the door. “Are you guys decent?” he asks.

Almost immediately, the door is opened by Octavia Blake, the band’s bass player. Her dark hair hands loose down her back, with a bunch of tiny braids running through it, and her eyes are surrounded by thick black eyeliner.

Raven follows the guys into the room, as Octavia sinks into the one side a plush loveseat. Monty perches himself on a table full of charging laptops and cell phones, all plugged into the same powers strip. Jasper sits on the floor, leaning back against a couch that holds a reclining Clarke, her feet resting in Wells Jaha’s lap (Raven only knows who he is because she had the forethought to google him before she drove over).

Raven takes a spot on the other side of Octavia’s loveseat, while Clarke formally introduces her to everyone. 

Raven had briefly wondered why Skyfall, whose songs were mostly electronic, indie-pop stuff, had an acoustic opening act. Her question is answered almost immediately, when Clarke starts telling stories about growing up with Wells.

“You told us this one already,” Octavia bluntly cuts Clarke off when she starts telling a story about Wells falling out of a tree house.

Wells shoots Octavia a relieved smile.

Soon enough, it’s time for Wells to play his set. Everyone gathers side-stage to watch, and Raven pretends not to notice that Clarke’s arms and hips keep brushing against her as she dancing. They’re in a cramped space, so it’s probably not intentional.

Then again, maybe it is. Octavia is definitely watching them out of the corner of her eye, and Raven’s pretty sure the other woman in smirking.

It feels good, but the logical side of Raven’s brain says it’s definitely bad. It goes directly against her ‘no mixing business and pleasure’ policy, and there’s a reason that she has that. It’s hard to force yourself to work on upbeat love songs when your heart’s been ripped in two.

When Skyfall starts setting up for their set, Raven excuses herself to find a spot in the crowd. She wants to see the audience’s reaction to the songs; it might give her some insight into what will work well on the album.

There’s an empty spot and the bar, she slides into the seat and orders a coke. Soon enough, the band takes the stage.

Even with her keyboard blocking half of her body, Raven can’t help but notice how good Clarke looks. She’s dressed much differently than when she comes to the studio, but the stage lights make her blonde hair look like a halo.

Raven shakes that thought from her head and focuses on the crowd. They’re enthusiastic, and shout back the lyrics when Clarke holds the microphone out to them.

“This is a new song,” Clarke announces about midway through their set, “so new, we’ve only recorded an acoustic demo of it.”

“We only started learning it like two days ago,” Jasper adds.

“Anyway, it’s called ‘Let Me Choose You,’” Clarke tells the audience.

The crowd might not be familiar with the song, but Raven is. It’s one of the ones she and Clarke wrote together (although honestly, Clarke did most of the work), and Raven’s almost certain it will make the final cut for the album.

She’s focuses on the crowd’s reaction, when a set of lyrics catches her attention.

“I can see past your haunted eyes, won’t you let me stand by your side?” Clarke stares down at her keyboard as she sings.

Raven looks up. Jasper mentioned those lines earlier, in reference to Raven. She pays strict attention to the rest of the song.

It’s about being in love with a person (Raven can’t help but notice a distinct lack of gender-specific pronouns) who’s been hurt before and has their guard up. Clarke is lamenting that this person won’t let her in.

She was there when Clarke wrote these lyrics. How had Raven not noticed that the song was about her? How did Clarke guess her feat of rejection, of abandonment so easily?

Raven is completely distracted through the end of the set. Should she mention the song to Clarke, or should she just ignore and pretend like she still hasn’t put two and two together?

She’s still mulling it over, even after the crowd has cleared out and they start sweeping the floors. She doesn’t even notice when Clarke approaches her from behind, two beer bottles from their backstage stash in her hands.

“So, what did they think of the new song?” Clarke asks hesitantly, holding a bottle out to Raven.

For all that she’s thought and over thought it, Raven lets her instincts call the shots in the end. She smiles brightly as Clarke takes a seat next to her.

“They loved it,” she says, then adds with emphasis, “ _I_ loved it. Especially the lyrics.”

Clarke smiles back, taking the hint, and leans in close.

It seems Raven’s all work, no play policy will last less than a year.


End file.
